View source for Liberal Party (Iceland)

{{About|the Liberal Party active from 1998 to 2012|the modern Liberal Reform Party|Viðreisn|Liberal Party active in the 1920s|Liberal Party (Iceland, historical)}}
{{Infobox Icelandic political party
|name          = Liberal Party
|native_name   = Frjálslyndi flokkurinn
|logo          = Icelandic Liberal Party (fair use).png
|colourcode    = {{party color|Liberal Party (Iceland)}}
|founder       = [[Sverrir Hermannsson]]
|founded       = {{Start date|1998|11|28|df=y}}
|split         = [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]]
|dissolved     = {{Start date|2012|03|18|df=y}}
|merged        = [[Dawn (Iceland)|Dawn]]
|ideology      = {{Unbulleted list|[[Liberalism]]<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas"/>|[[Anti-establishment]]<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas"/>|Coastal and fishermen's interests<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas"/>|[[Euroscepticism]]<ref name="Bjarnason"/>}}
|position      = [[Centre-right]]<ref name="Bjarnason">{{Cite book|title=The Political Economy of Joining the European Union: Iceland's Position at the Beginning of the 21st Century|last=Bjarnason|first=Magnus|year=2010|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|location=Amsterdam|isbn=9789056296421|page=52|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uC5rwsZUJdQC}}</ref>
|colours       = Blue and White
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120204064627/https://www.xf.is/ xf.is]
}}

The '''Liberal Party''' ({{langx|is|Frjálslyndi flokkurinn}}) was a [[liberalism|liberal]] [[political party]] in [[Iceland]]. Its main issue was fisheries policy and it drew its main support from coastal villages.<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas">{{Cite book|title=Das Parteiensystem Islands|work=Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas|last=Rubart|first=Frauke|year=2006|publisher=VS Verlag|location=Wiesbaden|isbn=978-3-531-14111-4|page=254|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pqOS4GRDTm4C|language=de}}</ref>

The Liberal Party was founded by former [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]] MP [[Sverrir Hermannsson]] in 1998. It was founded primarily in opposition to the [[Individual fishing quota|fishing quota]], and became a [[protest vote]].<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas"/> In the [[1999 Icelandic parliamentary election|following year's election]], the party won two seats out of 63. This climbed to four [[2003 Icelandic parliamentary election|in 2003]]: a level that was maintained at the [[2007 Icelandic parliamentary election|2007 election]]. However, the party lost all its parliamentary representation [[2009 Icelandic parliamentary election|in 2009]], after a [[2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis|financial crisis]] hit the country.

The party was a strong supporter of the [[free market]], against [[subsidy|subsidies]] and [[monopoly|monopolies]], and in favour of [[civil liberties]].<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas" /> It was oriented particularly towards the fishing industry<ref>{{Cite book|title=Iceland - An Overview: History, Economy, Culture, Educational System|last1=Rademacher|first1=A.K.|last2=Bätz|first2=C.|last3=Hartmann|first3=K.|year=2010|publisher=GRIN Verlag|location=Munich|isbn=9783640768462|page=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sKamEXFm0rkC|language=de}}</ref> and campaigns for the coastal electorate. It advocated the redistribution of fishing rights, as few big fishing companies had bought up around 70% of all quotas. While Reykjavík-based large-scale fisheries became rich, some coastal villages that were dependent on draught became impoverished.<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas" /> The party decided in March 2012 to merge with the newly formed [[Dawn (Iceland)|Dawn]].

==History==
The Liberal Party was founded by [[Sverrir Hermannsson]], a former MP of the [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]] and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of [[Landsbanki]], in November 1998. Sverrir had been a member of Independence-led governments from 1983 to 1988 before he went into the private sector. He turned his back to the Independence Party in disappointment over their turn to [[neoliberalism|neoliberal]] policies.<ref name="Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas"/>

In 2006/2007, the minor New Force party merged into the Liberal Party, which caused the prominent Liberal Party member [[Margrét Sverrisdóttir]] to leave the party and join the [[Icelandic Movement - Living Land]], threatening to split the Liberal Party.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=260125|title=IcelandReview - Online|access-date=2007-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501190656/http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=260125|archive-date=2009-05-01|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=260428|title=IcelandReview - Online|access-date=2007-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501190701/http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=260428|archive-date=2009-05-01|url-status=dead }}</ref>

The party had, before the 2007 parliament elections, moved from being primarily focused on issues of [[Individual Transferable Quotas|fishing quotas]] and small fishing communities toward immigration. It was the only political party in Iceland that supports strict restrictions on immigration, and consequently the party was accused of [[xenophobia]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} The party conducted a members' poll in January 2009 in order to determine its EU stance. The outcome was against [[Accession of Iceland to the European Union|EU-accession of Iceland]]. The party supports strict [[Neutrality (international relations)|neutrality]].

In February 2009, two of the Liberal Party's parliamentarians left the party; Jón Magnússon joined the [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]] and Kristinn H. Gunnarsson joined the [[Progressive Party (Iceland)|Progressive Party]].

==Ideology==

===Fishing quotas===
The party was founded in opposition of the [[Individual fishing quota|fishing quotas system]] which the [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]] and [[Progressive Party (Iceland)|Progressive Party]] passed in 1983. The party sought to represent those coastal villages that felt left out as the ownership of the quotas was consolidated in a few Reykjavík-based fisheries.

===Privatisation===
The party was not as positive towards privatisations as the [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]]. It opposed the privatisation on the energy company [[Hitaveita Suðurnesja]].

===Immigration===
The party had a conservative attitude towards immigration and wished to implement further restrictions.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}

===Foreign policy===
{{See also|Accession of Iceland to the European Union}}
The part was against the idea of Iceland joining the [[European Union]]. The party's stance was decided in a party members' poll which was conducted in December 2008. The question was: ''Should Iceland seek EU-membership?''. The results were published in January 2009 with 51.6% being against EU-accession, 34.8% in favour and 9.5% undecided.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xf.is/frettir/nr/82359/|title=Liberal Party rejects EU-membership|access-date=25 January 2009|date=14 January 2009|language=is|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502225627/http://xf.is/frettir/nr/82359/|archive-date=May 2, 2009 }}</ref>

The party supported Iceland's membership of [[NATO]], but was firmly opposed to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.

==Election results==

===Parliament===
{|class="wikitable"
!width="100px"|Election
!width="70px"|Votes
!width="50px"|Vote %
!width="50px"|Seats
!width="50px"|Place
|-
![[1999 Icelandic parliamentary election|1999]]
|6,919 {{Steady}}
|4.2 {{Steady}}
|{{Composition bar|2|63|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Iceland)}}}}
|5th {{Steady}}
|-
![[2003 Icelandic parliamentary election|2003]]
|13,523 {{Increase}}
|7.4 {{Increase}}
|{{Composition bar|4|63|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Iceland)}}}}
|5th {{Steady}}
|-
![[2007 Icelandic parliamentary election|2007]]
|13,233 {{Decrease}}
|7.3 {{Decrease}}
|{{Composition bar|4|63|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Iceland)}}}}
|5th {{Steady}}
|-
![[2009 Icelandic parliamentary election|2009]]
|4,148 {{Decrease}}
|2.2 {{Decrease}}
|{{Composition bar|0|63|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Iceland)}}}}
|6th {{Decrease}}
|}

==Leaders==

===Chairpersons===
*[[Sverrir Hermannsson]], 1998–2003
*[[Guðjón Arnar Kristjánsson]], 2003–2010
*[[Sigurjón Þórðarson]], 2010–2012

===Vice-chairpersons===
*[[Gunnar Ingi Gunnarsson]], 1998–2003
*[[Magnús Þór Hafsteinsson]], 2003–2009
*[[Ásgerður Flosadóttir]] 2009
*[[Kolbrún Stefánsdóttir]], 2009–2010
*[[Ásta Hafberg]], 2010–2012

==See also==
*[[Politics of Iceland]]
*[[Liberalism and centrism in Iceland]]
*[[Liberalism]]
*[[Liberal democracy]]
*[[Contributions to liberal theory]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
{{Parties of Iceland}}

[[Category:1998 establishments in Iceland]]
[[Category:Defunct liberal political parties]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Iceland]]
[[Category:Eurosceptic parties in Iceland]]
[[Category:Liberal parties in Iceland]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1998]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2012]]
[[Category:2012 disestablishments in Iceland]]